Collaborative Research: GEODES: Geoscience Diversity Experiential Simulations

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Part IThe Geoscience Diversity Experiential Simulations (GEODES) project tests new research-based methods for providing professional development (PD) in equity and inclusion for geoscientists. The project will create virtual reality role-play simulations designed to teach cohorts of geoscientists to develop and practice skills for recognizing bias and effectively intervening in geoscience-specific scenarios. This new ability to act will also be harnessed in the project?s leadership curriculum by focusing on institutional work to minimize the effects of bias on gatekeeping decisions. Testing the success of these scenarios in changing real-life behavior will contribute to the literature around diversity training for scientists. Evaluation of our comprehensive PD program will inform promising practices for geoscience departments to change attitudes and practice to create a more welcoming climate for all.Our project provides PD to university faculty to train them as champions for diversity who will also become role models for other professionals. Participants will begin to systematically open up the profession by employing a social-closure lens to minimize bias in key professional gate-keeping roles (e.g., search committees and graduate admissions). Furthermore, our virtual simulation provides a tool that various levels of geoscience leadership might be interested in demonstrating, advertising, and implementing. The proposed new immersive-learning tool will be generalizable to other STEM fields. A combination of machine learning and technology development may allow such active-participation simulations for all faculty, students, and administrators in the near future. The leadership curriculum will systematize the broad literature on institutional change for inclusion, thus creating a coherent, understandable, and general strategy that can be applied to many more institutionsPart IIThe Geoscience Diversity Experiential Simulations(GEODES)project draws from social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) and social closure theory (Murphy, 1988) to provide professional development (PD) for a cohort of geoscientists to 1) increase their knowledge of bias and social justice issues relevant to the geosciences; 2) engage in bystander intervention training using virtual reality simulations; 3) develop leadership skills to target critical gatekeeping decisions to transform their home institutions; and 4) support their continued development into champions for diversity, equity, and inclusion. These goals are achieved through several phases, beginning with a three-day intensive workshop that teaches and challenges participants to think critically about social justice and develops leadership skills. The workshop will culminate in bystander intervention training using virtual reality role-play scenarios. Participants will continue to meet for a monthly journal club over video conferencing, where issues of equity, inclusion, and leadership are discussed as a group. Measured outcomes include pre-post changes in attitudes and knowledge regarding diversity, equity, and leadership techniques.